ACCG WORKERS’ COMPENSATION INSURANCE FUND
ANNOUNCES $3 MILLION DIVIDEND

The Board of Trustees for the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG) Workers’ Compensation Insurance Fund recently voted to return a dividend in the amount of $3 million to members participating in the program.  The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Fund, formally called the ACCG-Group Self-Insurance Workers’ Compensation Fund (GSIWCF), is a non-profit, member-owned workers’ compensation insurance pool designed to meet the insurance needs of Georgia county governments.

This marks the 16th consecutive year that ACCG Workers’ Compensation Insurance Fund has returned a dividend, which is intended to benefit the long-term participants of the insurance program.  Since 1985, the program has returned more than $42 million dollars to the membership.  The dividend will be returned in the form of a premium credit to members who have participated in the program since 1999.   

Because county governments are responsible for many programs and services not commonly provided by the private sector, such as law enforcement, jails and road maintenance, they require specialized coverage.  The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Fund pool allows counties and authorities to pool their risk in a program designed to meet these unique needs.  The ACCG Workers’ Compensation Insurance Fund currently has 168 members, consisting of 134 counties and 34 authorities.

To complement the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Fund, ACCG also offers property and liability insurance as well as a fully-insured Group Health Benefits Program through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia.  Furthermore, ACCG offers Local Government Risk Management Services (LGRMS) to its members in partnership with the Georgia Municipal Association at no additional charge.  LGRMS provides training for county and authority employees on a wide range of loss-control topics including legal liabilities, jail exposures and workers’ compensation issues.  LGRMS also has two driving simulators that are used to train defensive driving techniques for county personnel.  LGRMS also provides wellness program consultation to counties and authorities that participate in ACCG’s Group Health Benefits Program.

ACCG invites you to send us your photos depicting Georgia’s scenic beauty, attractions or historical sites.  
 
ACCG staff members will select a winning entry to be displayed as the main cover image of the 2011 ACCG County Directory.
 
CONTEST INFORMATION

• All photo entries must be submitted to ACCG by January 7, 2011 with a completed release form.
• All entries should represent a scenic view, tourist attraction or historical site in Georgia.
• Photo submission must be a High Quality Color image in JPG format.
• Photos should be vertical, 8.5 x 11 photo and at least 300 dpi.

ACCG will not pay for the rights to use the photo; however, photo credit will be given to the winning photographer in the directory publication, ACCG website and the Countyline eNewsletter.

You can submit your entries via email to kbowen@accg.org or you can burn the images to a CD and mail it to:

Kathleen Bowen
Association County Commissioners of Georgia
50 Hurt Plaza, Suite 1000
Atlanta, GA 30303

Jan. 1, 2011 Enforcement of Identity Theft Prevention Program for Some Utilities and Ambulance Services

The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 (FACTA) requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to develop "Red Flag Rules."

These rules require counties to develop written policies designed to detect, prevent and mitigate instances of identity theft for utility customers and patients (when the county bills for ambulance services).  The enforcement of the Red Flag Rules has been repeatedly delayed.  Currently, it is scheduled to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2011.  However, it is possible that the FTC will delay enforcement again. 

For counties that have not adopted an identity theft prevention program, ACCG has developed the ACCG Identity Theft Prevention Program that may be helpful.  Even if the FTC’s Red Flag Rules are not enforced on Jan. 1, 2011, counties may still want to look at how they handle patient and customer accounts and consider adopting a written policy designed to detect the warning signs, or "red flags," of identity theft in their day-to-day operations.

Commissioners should discuss the FTC rules with their county attorney to see whether their ambulance service, utility service or any other county service is subject to the Red Flags Rule. The FTC has prepared a FAQ for the applicability of the Red Flag Rules to local governments generally.  They also have written an article, "The ‘Red Flags’ Rule: What Health Care Providers Need to Know About Complying with New Requirements for Fighting Identity Theft," that may be helpful to counties that provide ambulance service.